[Food] Thomas Haas Fine Chocolates & Patisserie- 1st visit

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 Atmosphere ★★★★☆

Taste ★★★★☆

Commute ★★★★☆

Recommended for dessert lovers and chocolate lovers. The place is a bit noisy and space is a bit small. Commute is ok, 99 bus can get there easily from Commercial Broadway Skytrain, but the walk there is a bit long. Taste is decent for its price.

 Chocolate Raspberry Cake:

 I think it's just normal chocolate cheese cake mousse LOL
The price is a bit on the high side. The texture feels smooth in the mouth. Cheese cake is just the right level of sourness. I feel like the chocolate part of the cake taste has some space of improvement - the sweetness and bitterness did not perfectly compliment the cheese cake taste. The chocolate on the top tastes good lol. The raspberry is just a raspberry. I always eat the fruit on the cake with the cake. Raspberry's taste goes well along with the cake. Overall, it's a good cake, but for a chocolate lover like me, it was a little disappointing for its price.

 Exotic Cheese Cake:

 

  My friend's choice. I have to say, hers tasted better (lol and it's not because "other's is always better") This cheese cake taste great with the sweetness of the syrup. Coconut sprinkles add layers to the sweetness. Its sour taste mixed nicely with the sweet berries. The white chocolate my friend said tasted as good as white chocolate can be. The cookie on the bottom is just the right crispness. I recommend this one over the chocolate one above :)

  I will still go if my friends decide to try something else out next time. This is a good patisserie, but it could do better. The drink we ordered were the specialty fruit drinks for the day. They were decent, made a bit more on the sour side to compliment the cakes. I will try hot drinks next time. I have to keep going on hunts for my favourite dessert place...

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[Food] Thomas Haas Fine Chocolates & Patisserie- 1st visit

[ENDrama] How I Met Your Mother Season 9 Episode 1 - The Locket

[postlink]http://seatpotatodiary.blogspot.com/2013/09/endrama-how-i-met-your-mother-season-9-episode-01.html[/postlink]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3FPyaaBDAr8endofvid [starttext]

  The last season! I started watching HIMYM when the 5th season finished airing and fell in love with the Swarkles/BrOTP/Barney+Robin couple. They are perfect for each other!!! I am so glad they are going to start this series with their wedding and show us the sweet newly wed couple!~~~

  Before I go ahead and blab about the new season, you should see this recap lol

   Now, I think we're ready. After watching this season premier, I have to say, I am quite disappointed. The tempo seems a bit slow and some of the acting are way over exaggerated. I fast forwarded the majority of this episode. Not a good start... The story is progressing, though, at least. Every character have their struggles and are in the process of moving on to the next stage in life.

  

  **SPOILERS ALERT, STOP HERE IF YOU DON'T WANT TO GET SPOILED**

  Ted is as usual, an idiot, but today, his driving rants and actions are actually funny - lol! Guess what his wife's nickname for him as a driver is? -"Lady Tedwena Slowsby" --- Classic. I actually would like to go on Mosby road trip- his a great trip planner... in a way like my dad hahaha. Sneak peak again~

   Mother-in-law and daughter-in-law relationship is always hard. I thought Caucasian people have it easier since most of the married couple don't live with their parents (unlike us Asians). I guess there are always rifts between the two women who loves one same man. Lily and Marshall's mom have this tension that Marshall, like majority of men is unable to sense. This story line is actually pretty realistic...

  Marshall is still trying hard to conceal that he got offered his dream job and now has conflicted feelings about moving to Rome. It's Lily vs. Marshall now for both of them. I guess in the following episodes when truth gets out, Lily and Marshall will have one episode with ridiculous fights then end up reaching a heart-warming conclusion of staying at NY. (aw...) For now, though, Marshall is going all crazy to try to keep this secrete from his wife... apparently for a smart lawyer, deleting a picture off a webpage was too hard. *shake head* Marvin saves the day with one random click- we all know that's not going to happen in real world. But this is kinda funny, cuz it showed how people always try to "help" others when they are figuring something out on the computer, most of the time it just complicates the matter... Lastly, I feel bad for that lady who had to delay her flight because of Marshall...

  The "mom" that we've been introduced to met Lily on the train in this episode and they clicked instantly. From how she talks, she does seem like a perfect fit for Ted. They shared "S'o'm Bitches" (Cookies) which totally makes me hungry right now. Now that I think about it...Weird... they (Lily and the mom) were going to the same place... how come they did not appear at the church at the end together?



  Ted still can't let Robin go... he should've make Barney tracked down that locket instead of ever wanted to let it be a wedding gift... Oh, well, Robin would not choose Ted just because how sweet he is. She's already made that choice of not marrying Ted many times. I feel bad for Ted, but that's what love is about. It is unfair. 

  Robin and Barney's wild card set is going to make their wedding so fun!!! ( I can't wait!) Today, their biggest obstacle is the suspicion that they are probably blood related (*gasp*- not a surprise if this is an Asian drama, but for an American drama?!). If this was an Asian drama- they could even be set to really be blood related and have an incest relationship (come on, lots of Asian dramas have brother-sister/ cousin-cousin/ father-daughter kind of couples XD)... Of course, this is a sitcom, it is just meant to be another "funny" plot. I did not find it that interesting at all... normally I love these two, but this story ain't really that good. If they had done that sad, crying, heart-breaking when couples find out they are blood related, it would've been more fun. Instead, they went with the disgusted route... which ruined this!!!:P

  Sweetest BR moment of the day---- 

B:"Our wedding is going to be legen~dary"
R: "No wait for it?"
B: "I"ve got you. I don't have to wait for it anymore."

  I can't wait for the BEST WEDDING EVER!(P.S. I hope the ring bear is cute XD)

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[ENDrama] How I Met Your Mother Season 9 Episode 1 - The Locket

[JPDrama] 半沢直樹 Hanzawa Naoki - After Thoughts

[postlink]http://seatpotatodiary.blogspot.com/2013/09/jpdrama-hanzawa-naoki-after-thoughts.html[/postlink]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qjMLjwM3f6Eendofvid [starttext]

CAST ★★★★★

STORY ★★★★☆

OST ★★★☆☆

Recommended to watch if you are over 20 and know about the working world. Not recommended for people who only like watching romances or funny stories. An exciting business related drama if you over look some bugs (like how the main character is able to say whatever he feels like or persuade bad people)

  Just finished this drama today. There will be a new season or movie or SP soon, I am sure. There is no way they will let this super high-rating drama go any time soon. I am guessing the rating of this final episode probably broke 40%. This is also the only drama that never had decrease in rating- miraculously.

  To be totally honest. I do not love this drama. I like it, but it did not catch my heart. Maybe it's because I have not experienced what working class people experienced in their everyday life. As a student, I only see the unrealistic plots that happened in this drama. I might change my opinion if I come back to rewatch this drama 5 years later.

  The fact that this is such a huge HIT in Japan does not surprise me, though. I have long heard of how their corporations are like and how working class people suffer in Japan. Hanzawa's story must have echoed with the voices in their hearts.

    Hanzawa's "principle"(tagline): "Pay double the payback" has excited many viewers. The story itself is nicely paced, full of surprises and excitements. It is a drama with great story and cast. Even  people who is not interested by the business world could enjoy it just fine.

  After years of hard work, Sakai Masato (堺雅人) has finally shot to stardom. Before I watched Legal High, the only thing I knew about him is that he was rumored to be Takeuchi Yuko (竹內結子

-one of my favourite Japanese Actress)'s boyfriend in 2011 and that he married another Japanese actress, Kanno Miho (菅野美穂)

whom I also love. His acting in Legal High

reached a new level, and his charisma started to shine through. He is no longer that weak guy who is at the bottom of the society. He became a man with Haki (if you watch One Piece you should know lol), a man who has a great screen presence. Hanzawa Naoki is a character that gave him the opportunity to show his maturity in acting and he did a fantastic job. Now, I look forward to his new drama "Legal High 2" (I actually enjoy Legal High more than Hanzawa Naoki).

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[JPDrama] 半沢直樹 Hanzawa Naoki - After Thoughts